My BBQ Compass Is North By Northwest

In my neck of the woods, southern Missouri, we are influenced by the Kansas City style of BBQ. Sauces are tomato based with molasses, brown sugar and a dash of vinegar thrown in for the tartness to off set the sweet. It's a balance that works well for folks around these parts. If you go to southeast Missouri, the Memphis style begins to take a firm hold on BBQ tastes.

In all my years of tending a pit, I never really got into the "history" of BBQ in Kansas City that would end up being a blueprint for what many have followed throughout the years.

In the early 1920's, a young man named Henry Perry left the Mississippi river boat restaurant scene and headed to Kansas City. Historians say that Perry operated a BBQ joint from inside an old trolley car not far from the 18th & Vine area. Perry sold a full slab of ribs for the unbelievable price of 25 cents; he also smoked and sold woodchuck, possum and other critters indigenous to Missouri. But, aside from being known as the "Father of Barbeque" in Kansas City, he was responsible for the formation of two BBQ joints still operating today in KC.

Early on, Perry hired two employees to help him work the pits; one was Arthur Pinkard and the other was Charlie Bryant. Pinkard was the first to be lured away from Perry and he was done so by a man named George Gates in 1946. Pinkard and Gates then formed Gates & Sons BBQ which still has multiple locations in KC and sells BBQ sauces, meats and rubs on line. Not long after Pinkard left, Perry suddenly died and Charlie Bryant took over the operation but soon retired. At that point Charlie's brother, Arthur took over, made a few cosmetic changes, but kept the pits churning out phenomenal BBQ and is still at 18th and Brooklyn in KC.

Perry's original sauce was rumored to be very hot with pepper and harsh. Many said Perry got a kick to see customers grab their glasses of water to wash away the heat in an effort to find relief. The Bryant brothers made changes to the Perry recipe to make it sweeter and more palatable and that formula is still served today.